Ah it's nice having the bottom feeder from Santa Monica Blvd around (tho now misbehaving in Rio). If you pay close attention to his wordy e-mails you can turn the old saw, "if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't", on it's head. Missed out on the $4.99 and $5.99 pinot that the Weener cashed in on, so when I saw the $5.99 barbera, I pounced. It is 1997 Il Podere Dell' Olivos, California, Barbera. It is made and bottled in Santa Maria by Il Podere, and the grapes come mainly from nearby. It is a big barbera, weighing in at 13.5% alcohol.

Beautiful dark purple to the eye. A large load of dark fruit greets your nose and tongue tip. Spicy complexity with tingly acid, modest oak, and smooth tannin across the palate; and a lovely, lingering finish. Equal in quality to California Barberas that I routinely pay $18 for. Matched it with penne in Italian tomato sauce, broiled sweet Italian sausage, and salad. Very, very nice. And there's eleven more in the basement.

Fry that sucker up with some greens and cornbread and I'll hop a flight. Oakie-Weener
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If you guys think that $5.99 is bottom feeding, you've got to try the Lurton Malbec or the Montebento Valpolicella @ $4.99 and then the Lurton Bonarda at $3.99....all seriously good juice but approaching the oint where any shipping would cost as much as the wine.

I took my first big corporate holiday gift order today and am already helping plan three different New Year's Eve bashes, let the games begin!

Bucko, we live in a free market here, unlike the state dictated economy of WA re liquor so things happen here that will NEVER happen there. For instance, the largest liquor wholsaler here just stole 600 brands from the second largest and to make room for the new goods they suits in inventory control decreed that ALL items with less than ten cases in inventory be liquidated IMMEDIATELY with almost no offer being refused.

Would you like some Latour Chevallier Montrachet le Demmoselle for $60 instead of the normal WHOLESALE of $150? That is just a small taste of the carnage going on down here with the ongoing consolidation of the big boys. It is GREAT for consumers NOW but I have a very Orwellian feeling about next year...

Roberto

PS (we could have sold some very good wines at $1.99 a bottle and made money but we know that no one would buy them at that price).

Popped another tonight with leftover Super Bowl meatballs with some pasta, with the bread made garlicy, and salad. Simply wonderful. If nothing else, this conviced me that I'm an acid with acid guy for sure. Had the SB Meatball Sandwiches with a Monile Vino de Ripasso. It was a wonderful wine to sip while watching the game, and I love it; but it did not go as well with the tomatoes as the barbera.

In addition to the above, we've been doing a lot of good peasant Italian food lately. Had the Super Bowl meatballs one more time. Then loverlady came home with two huge meaty lamb shanks and a bag of beautiful peppers. So we had two meals of Tuscan Stuffed Peppers and three meals of Lamb Shanks and Pasta. Went through just about all of the remaining bottles of this barbera, which is just about at its peak. Wonderful.

Saute onion and pepper in oil until slightly soft. Transfer to crock pot. Brown shanks in oil. Add to crock pot with tomato sauce and seasonings. Cook 8-10 hours on low. Remove all traces of shanks from pot. Separate meat from bones, fat, and gristle. Return meat to pot, stir and warm through. Serve over pasta (or shredded iceberg lettuce for lo-carb folks), and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serves four to six. For fewer servings, freeze half the sauce and use a half pound of pasta.

Here's some interesting news. In this year's special issue of Wine & Spirits (fall 2003) titled "What To Order? The Insiders Guide To Choosing Wine In Restaurants", they have a piece on matching wines with Fettucini Bolognese at Il Capriccio in Boston. The customers' favorite wine with this dish was 2000 Il Podere Dell'Olivos Central Coast Barbera. This wine was produced three years after our bargain from Roberto, but this is what they said: "a ripe barbera from Jim Clendenon of Au Bon Climat. It's a softer style that can be enjoyed without food more readily than Roger's (Jeannie Rogers the sommelier) favored Martilde (2001 Oltrepo Pavese Barbera). (She says) "The Martilde is sharp on its own. If someone doesn't try it with the food, they'll most likely go to a wine with the ripeness of Il Podere. Jim Clendenon always says to me, 'You like thin, undeveloped acidic wines.' And I say, 'Yes I tend to go toward the minerality and raciness in wine, rather than the alcohol.'"

So! That Il Poldere Barbera came from Jim Clendenon! Great bottom feeding Roberto!